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There are some of the projects which the Black Academy of Arts and Letters seeks to implement.  Also contemplated are such activities as an annual competition and festival for black filmmakers; an annual retreat for black writers; establishment of a central archives covering all major black artists and scholars, both living and deceased; a manual for the guidance of black writers in preparing material for publication; an oral history of the black experience; a photographic record of black achievements in architecture and the crafts; sponsorship of cultural festivals and forums on black theatre, music, art, and dance.  
  The Black Academy was founded with the encouragement of the Twentieth Century Fund, which granted the organization $50,000 for operating expenses during each of its first three years.  Contributions have since been received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Johnson Publishing Company, from members and other interested individuals. But to fulfill its objectives—its dreams—the Academy needs substantial financial support from foundations and corporations which genuinely seek to improve our society and to make this a better world in which to live.  
  The time is now. The need is urgent. As Dr. Lincoln put it: "If what is black can also be excellent, the Black Academy of Arts and Letters is long overdue."